title: The multiple sleep latency test in the diagnosis of sleep disorders.
abstract: The multiple sleep latency test provides an objective measure of a patient's daytime sleepiness. Sixteen tests were performed at Groote Schuur Hospital in 1987 and 1988 according to a fixed protocol. In 8 patients the test was definitely abnormal (mean sleep latency less than 5 minutes) with 3 subjects diagnosed as having narcolepsy, 1 sleep apnoea syndrome, 1 idiopathic central nervous system hypersomnolence, 2 environment-related hypersomnolence and 1 psychophysiological hypersomnolence. In 2 patients the test results fell in the equivocal range (mean sleep latency 5-10 minutes), while in 5 the test revealed no evidence for a disorder of excessive sleep (mean sleep latency greater than 10 minutes). The test was uninterpretable for technical reasons in only 1 patient. In conclusion, the test--when performed in a standardised manner--is extremely helpful in the elucidation of possible disorders of excessive sleep.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Silber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D012890:Sleep; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012895:Sleep, REM; D013997:Time Factors